This invention generally relates to equipment deployment systems and methods for aircraft and more particularly to systems and methods for loading equipment in an aircraft and deploying therefrom.
Successful deployment of equipment from a flying aircraft depends upon correct loading of the equipment in a deployment apparatus of the aircraft. Typically, such equipment is provided in an elongate, bulky, and heavy container. Conventionally, the deployment of equipment provided in a container requires the operator to lift the container, containing the equipment, into the deployment apparatus from beneath the aircraft, i.e., requires the container to be raised manually or automatically by an operator when generally vertical or upright, through an opening in the aircraft fuselage, from below the opening. Thus, such fitments, at time, can be difficult to achieve successfully, because such systems do not provide for flexibility of loading and deploying of the equipment.
Attempts have been made to overcome the difficulties inherent in the conventional approaches. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,904 discloses a sonobuoy dispenser which include a support member being provided with a central opening, a plurality of sonobuoy launchers carried by the support member, means adapted to transport each of the sonobuoy launchers in the direction of the central opening to dispense the sonobuoy therethrough, and means to return the sonobuoy launchers to a loading position. This system has complex structure and operational indices and does not provide an easy loading and deployment of equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,796 discloses a sonobuoy dispenser including a rotatable tubular cylinder having a plurality of adjustable sonobuoy support members longitudinally of its external surface. The tubular cylinder is rotated and indexed by a power source and a Geneva mechanism, which is controlled by a fiber optic switch member and an electronics control circuit for selectively releasing the sonobuoys. This system also has complex structure and operational indices and falls short in providing a convenient approach for loading and deploying of equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,798 discloses a buoy deployment system for an aircraft which includes a multi-store gravity launching system which allows for discharge of different lengths and types of buoys. This patent also discloses a rotatable storage carousel including a plurality of semi-cylindrical tube section/latch assemblies, sized to restrain a plurality of buoys, which form storage stations on the carousel. This system also has complex structure and operational indices.
As can be seen, there is a need for automatically loading equipment such as a sonobuoy in an aircraft and deploying it therefrom in a manner which is not only quick, easy, and effective, but safe as well.